Many customers turn to X for updates from their favorite brands, whether it’s new product launches, seasonal promotions or giveaways, or other industry news. Another common way people use the platform is to voice their concerns or share their positive experiences with the brands they use. This makes X a key platform for getting valuable feedback directly from your customers.
What are Mentions on X (formerly Twitter)?
An X mention is a post that includes another account’s username. There are a few different forms, including @handle mentions, reply mentions, and hashtag mentions.
Username (or handle) mention
This is when someone makes a post that includes another account’s X handle. An account’s handle consists of the ‘@’ symbol immediately followed by the account’s username (@username). This type of mention is generally used to directly address and get the attention of another user.
Reply mention
A reply mention occurs when someone replies to a Tweet from another account. Once a user replies to another’s Tweet, the reply is automatically populated with the poster’s @handle. This type of mention is controlled by the platform and cannot be altered by either user. Its purpose is to alert the poster that someone responded to their content.
Hashtag mention
A hashtag mention is a Tweet or comment that includes the ‘#’ symbol followed by another account’s username (#username). Hashtags are not typically used for mentions, which are aimed at getting another user’s attention. Instead, they are frequently used to categorize content and encourage conversations around specific topics.
I. Enhance Brand Visibility
Tracking mentions of your brand on X can help you improve your overall online appearance. Knowing who is speaking about your brand and what they are saying provides opportunities for you to make changes where necessary to protect your brand’s reputation and reach a larger audience.
Monitor public perception
There are two main benefits of monitoring what others are saying about your brand. Firstly, it allows you to quickly take steps to mitigate damage that could be done to your image from negative feedback. It also gives you unique insights into how others are using (and enjoying) your product, which can be used in your marketing to attract new customers.
Measure campaigns
Tracking mentions is an effective way to learn how well your Tweets are performing. For instance, reply mentions can let you know just how much engagement your posts are generating. With this data, you can then make adjustments to your marketing efforts as needed to boost engagement and reach.
Competitive analysis
You can also track your competitors’ mentions to understand what their audience is saying about them. This can help you uncover opportunities for improving on their weaknesses, or even to adapt useful practices to gain a competitive edge.
II. Increase Brand Engagement
Another reason to track X mentions is to increase brand engagement. Here are a few ways this can work:
Foster communities
By keeping track of your brand mentions, not only will you know what others are saying about your business, but you can also directly reply to those users and get a conversation started. As a business, replying directly to your audience makes them feel a sense of belonging, which can enhance customer loyalty and strengthen brand-customer relationships. Also, by replying to users initially, they are more likely to continue tagging your business in their content.
Encourage user-generated content
There are many ways to encourage user-generated content. For instance, by tracking mentions, you may be able to pick up on common themes in the conversations around your brand and use those for hashtag trends or other fun competitions. These kinds of lighthearted campaigns usually encourage authentic feedback from your audience and attract new followers.
III. Provide Customer Support
Customer support is a vital part of any business, and keeping track of your brand’s mentions on X can help you identify opportunities for product improvement, as well as identify and resolve issues more effectively.
Gather valuable feedback
X users often turn to the platform to voice their opinions on many things, including the quality of products and services they use. Tracking mentions of your brand can give you access to free authentic customer reviews. This data can then be used to enhance your product or service quality.
Identify potential issues
Tracking your X mentions enables you to pick up on any issues that your followers have with your brand. It’s common practice on the platform for frustrated customers to tag businesses voicing their concerns. Practical and empathetic responses to such Tweets can effectively resolve user issues, and make them feel valued.
IV. Leverage Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing, when done properly, can help expose your brand to audiences you would not normally be able to easily reach, and monitoring your X mentions can help you get in touch with top influencers.
Identify influencer mentions
By tracking mentions, you’re able to identify when industry influencers start talking about your brand. You can then reach out to your preferred influencers for opportunities to work together on your next marketing campaigns.
Create partnerships
After identifying the influencers you want to partner with, then you can make arrangements for long-term collaborations.
Enhance brand promotion
Influencers can help to spread your brand message to larger audiences. Since the followers of those influencers generally trust their content, working closely with them can help build trust for your brand as well.
V. Monitor Customer Sentiment
Tracking X mentions allows you to stay updated on changing customer views and opinions surrounding your brand or industry.
Identify emerging trends
Monitoring brand mentions on X can help you quickly pick up on emerging trends and capitalize on them. Picking up on potential industry shifts early allows you to adapt your marketing strategies early, giving you a competitive advantage.
Measure engagement
Tracking mentions is also an important step in measuring audience engagement on the platform. Tracking reply mentions, for example, lets you know how much your followers are responding to your Tweets. You are also able to analyze likes and retweets in order to determine the effectiveness of your content.
Analyze customer interactions
Aside from identifying how much your customers interact with your content, X mentions can reveal exactly how your followers are engaging with your business. Are they more casual or formal when talking about your brand? What aspects of your business are they posting about? Quality of service? Specific product features? Knowing how customers are talking about your brand can help you to produce content that better resonates with them.
VI. Proactive Crisis Management
Effective social listening on X can help you to stay ahead of any crises that may arise and make the necessary adjustments before issues get out of control.
Identify potential crises
Continually monitoring what your audience is saying about your brand can help you identify areas that can develop into major issues and make adjustments early. For instance, if you notice that within a few days multiple followers posted complaints surrounding the quality of service they received from your business, then you have the opportunity to do early investigations and make changes swiftly to avoid reputational damage.
Effective crisis communication
In the event that an issue does escalate, if you are tracking your brand mentions, then you’ll quickly become aware of the issue. Responding to those customers’ concerns directly and transparently can help to ease tensions and regain trust.
Best Practices To Track X (Twitter) Mentions
When getting started with tracking X mentions, there are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success. Here are some tips to consider:
Use social media monitoring tools
Social monitoring tools are built to give you deep insight into the different ways others are talking about your brand. Some tools offer features like sentiment analysis, trend tracking, and competitor benchmarking, which can help you to tailor your marketing campaigns for better results.
Learn more about ICUC’s social media monitoring solutions.
Create customized alerts
Customized alerts help you to zoom in on specific aspects of your brand and how customers are talking about those specific areas. You can create customized alerts for specific keywords, hashtags, or mentions related to your brand.
Monitor multiple variations
To ensure you’re monitoring mentions from as many of your followers as possible, it’s a good idea to track multiple variations of your brand name. This could include common misspellings and abbreviations your customers use when talking about your brand.
Regularly check notifications
It’s easy to let X notifications go unread for long periods, but in order to ensure you’re getting all the valuable feedback your customers have to offer, it’s best to check your notifications regularly. This helps you to pick up on important details as soon as they are available.
Actively engage mentions
One upside of tracking mentions is that you are able to directly address individual customer concerns and mitigate reputational damage where needed. Reply to both positive and negative mentions to reassure customers that their feedback is valuable to your business.
Identify influencers
Keep an eye out for notable industry influencers that mention your brand. Focus on building relationships with them in order to gain access to their audiences and build trust among potential customers.
Manage Your Brand’s Online Presence with ICUC Social
Tracking X mentions is an important part of an effective social strategy, and provides valuable data that can be used to improve your brand. By paying attention to these social media insights, you are able to take charge of your brand’s online image and build deep and lasting relationships with your customers.
Need help tracking mentions on X or another platform? Book a meeting with us.
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